No B.S. Time Management has only 108 pages, yet
includes highly practical observations and advice about time management
that you can put to work immediately to increase your personal
effectiveness.
This book explains that
to be effective and successful, we must learn to value our time to
invest it in high-payoff activities. What a high payoff activity is
depends on your personal values. This includes improving relationships,
creating a successful business, improving physical fitness, spiritual
development, community service, and/or investing for financial security.
"I
was delighted with the comment of my son, Jimmy, when he had to spend
time on an activity that he didn't value. "Give me back my day! I want
my day back!" Like Jimmy, we need to become very particular about how we
spend our time, and learn to avoid "time vampires" that would suck away
our time and our lives."
An
approach that Kennedy gives for entrepreneurs is to develop a base
earnings target. Kennedy asks, "What is the minimum amount you will be
satisfied in earning?" He then relates to how much you need to earn per
productive hour to reach that target? This becomes your "per hour value"
benchmark. For example, if your target earning is $200,000, your work
year is about 2,000 hours. Since about half of work time is devoted to
productive activities, the value of your productive hours needs to be
$200. This means that for every hour wasted, $200 is flushed down the
toilet.
Many people have non-productive
activities that increase their time investment for a return. For
example, travel time between work locations. This reduces their
realization per hour. How can you strategically increase your return
when traveling? Can you "cluster" business appointments for a location?
When planning sales calls, can you plan your calls to meet several
customers located close to each other? Well, contrary to popular trends,
Kennedy says chief executives need to reduce their accessibility or
everyone will suck away their high-payoff time. Other employees should
be satisfying the needs of the customers for service. Let employees
solve most of their own problems.
Kennedy
trashes "open door" policies. He believes most organizations are
getting priorities backwards. The chief executive should provide the
leadership and direction for the organization (especially for marketing
initiatives). The purpose of the employees is to support the chief
executive's goals. (We should note here that Kennedy prefers to
participate in ventures with few or no employees.)
An
approach Kennedy gives to avoid being embroiled in workplace problems
is simply not to go there often. The chief executive can accomplish a
lot more at home or in an office located separately from the rest of the
operation.
Kennedy also believes
executives need to avoid knee-jerk responses to telephone calls. Most
calls can be handled at scheduled times. Systems can be put in place so
key "VIP" customers have access, while others are limited. "Right or
wrong, most folks don't put a lot of value on getting to the wise man at
the bottom of the mountain."
According
to Kennedy, one of the most important disciplines we can develop is to
be punctual. Anyone who can't be punctual can't be trusted.
Another
problem area that Kennedy addresses are suppliers. If suppliers miss
delivery dates, the entire system becomes backed up (or destroyed). For
example, Kennedy gives marketing training materials presentations for
sales. If the materials aren't delivered, people can't buy them and the
entire effort is a wash. When delivery is this critical, you must insist
the suppliers meet the promised delivery date as a condition of
continuing to do business with them and you must not accept a string of
excuses for failure to meet your requirements.
Although
Kennedy's philosophy is a contrast to many of the "soft handed"
approaches of current management culture, we would place No B.S. Time
Management on a required reading list for entrepreneurs and executives.